Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Another Lutheran Denomination?

Shrimp here, again, wondering what to make of the following announcement currently on the front page of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries web site?
Chaplain Endorsed

February 14, 2009, Valentine's Day, Rev. Dale Poland received ecclesiastical endorsement from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) in his pursuit of becoming a Board Certified Chaplain with the Association for Professional Chaplains (APC). He becomes the first ELM Rostered clergy to receive ecclesiastical endorsement from ELM. Rev. Dale Poland serves as a chaplain with HospiceCare of Boulder and Broom field Counties in Colorado. He also serves as a chaplain to the ELM Roster. The Bay Area Regional Panel chaired by Mary Stein Webber working together with Rod Seeger, Coordinator of Ecclesiastical Endorsement, met with Dale on Saturday afternoon. This ecclesiastical endorsement meeting became a first for ELM. Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries has recently been officially recognized as a credentialing and endorsing body by the Association for Professional Chaplains, The Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, and the American Association for Pastoral Counselors.
So now ELM is "certifying" ministers for more than extraordinary ELCA congregations.

Shrimp out.

1 comment:

Debbie said...

By wondering outloud if this is "another Lutheran denomination" do you mean to imply that an organization that certifies pastors for chaplaincy is always to be considered a thing in itself separate from the denomination?

I ask this because I believe the trouble for one district of LCMC began when they got credentialed and certified someone for army chaplaincy, when the LCMC had not yet thought to do that.

The good ship ELCA...

The good ship ELCA...
Or the Shellfish blog...